1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to document support apparatus, and more particularly relates to a universal document support stand for selectively and fixedly positioning a document holder for viewing at a computer workstation and other visual reference situations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term "document" hereinafter refers to a single page or a multiple number of pages.
The term "document holder" hereinafter refers to that type of device which is adapted to secure a document, such as in the form of a book, spiral bound manual, loose-leaf binder, conventional copyholder stands or the like, as well as those devices which have been modified by a present applicant (Hegarty) in a previously filed application, having issued to U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,146, which is herein incorporated by reference.
The term "multi-positionable" hereinafter refers to the ability to pivot about one or more axes of rotation.
The term "relocating side" hereinafter refers to a side of a main support body of the present invention which provides for the slidable engagement of a cooperating member to any one of a plurality of fixed supportive locations.
The term "relocatable" hereinafter refers to the ability to be engagably moved from one fixed supportive location to another.
The term "fixed supportive location" hereinafter refers to the placement of an engaging member of a stand of the present invention at a pre-determined, specific and fixed location on the relocating side of the main support body of the stand, with that location providing the structure necessary for fixedly supporting the engaging member.
The term "symmetrically functional" hereinafter refers to the ability of a device to support an article, such as an arm or document, in the same direction whenever the article is mounted on the device in one of a first or second support positions, with the second position being in mirror image to the first position.
Document support stands for supporting a document or document holder in space are well known in the art and are generally referred to as "suspended copyholder stands". Many conventional stands are designed to be supported by a bracket clamped to the edge of a desk and to suspend the document holder in space through the cooperation of various types of mechanical structures utilizing an assortment of joints, springs and/or adjusting knobs.
Such structures are attempting to "fixedly suspend" the copy holder in space and, at the same time, to allow its repositioning. Such a combination of purposes results in compromise. If the structure is easily repositionable, without any adjustment being required, it is either dedicated to light duty or, if it is capable of supporting heavy workloads, is mechanically complex. For the most part, if an apparatus does provide for fixedly supporting a suspended workload of significant weight the apparatus will be fitted with a variety of complex mechanical balancing devices such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,744 entitled "Apparatus For Supporting a Load in a Dynamically Balanced Position". Consequently, "heavy duty" suspended document holder stands are mechanically complicated and thus expensive to manufacture and purchase. Accordingly, one of the primary disadvantages of many conventional suspended document holder stands is that they are not capable, with few mechanical parts, of fixedly supporting heavy document holders in space.
Another significant disadvantage of conventional suspended document holder stands is that they are limited in their ability to adequately and accurately position a mounted document for viewing while suspended in space. Often, the conventional document holders offer a limited number of locations in space due to the need to balance the workload. For example, the parallelogram type of support device is limited in its spatial positioning ability by the restraints imposed by the very nature of the parallelogram structure itself. Very often the operator must reposition the entire device, swinging the arm assembly in a trial and error fashion in an attempt to locate the best balanced viewing position. If the structure does provide adjustments in order to fixedly position a suspended heavy workload, the positions are difficult to duplicate causing the user to use a "trial-and-error" method in an attempt to relocate a previously used viewing position.
A further disadvantage with conventional suspended document holders is that they require a considerable amount of desk and air space in order to position a document for viewing. Many suspended document holders require the edge of a desk in order to be supported. Additionally, these type of document holders require that the space throughout which the suspended arm moves be free of any obstructions such as walls, shelving or lighting fixtures. Consequently, not only must the desk surface be free of barriers but the arm, being boom-like in movement requires considerable open space, both vertically and horizontally, in order to freely move the boom-like arm when positioning a document for viewing.
When considering symmetrically formed and functional "heavy duty" document holder stands (those stands capable of being operationally positioned to the left or to the right of a support device such as a video display monitor) a fundamental disadvantage is noted. These "symmetrically functioning" stands are extremely limited in function. No prior art document holder stand discloses a symmetrically formed and functional base which cooperates with other members of the stand to selectively position and support heavy workloads: a) at varying eye levels, b) at the end of a multi-positionable and fixed projecting arm, c) without the use of springs, adjustment knobs or other similar types of mechanical balancing devices, d) and on both sides of a contributing support device such as a video display monitor.
Currently, however, there are stands which are fitted with an L-shaped base member which are symmetrically functional. Such a stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,285 (Bello). The stand includes an L-shaped base member and provides for the shorter leg of the L member to be inserted between the desk surface and a support device such as a typewriter or video display monitor. The Bello patent, like many others however, does not provide for fixedly projecting and positioning a variety of heavy workloads at varying eye levels. Another type of symmetrically functional device is designed to adhere to the top of a video display monitor and to support a one page document on either side of the monitor. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,078 (Judd) and is entitled "Document Holder Clip". Obviously this device, although useful for its intended purpose, is not capable of fixedly supporting a weighted document holder such as a loose-leaf binder.
Currently available suspended document holder stands do not maximize the potential supportive capabilities of vertically oriented structural support surfaces. The workplace environment is surrounded with vertically oriented structural members such as the sides of: walls, room dividers, desks, shelving, file cabinets and video display monitors. The possible contributive capabilities of these vertical surfaces for mounting, positioning and supporting documents has been poorly appreciated. Consequently, the prior art of video display monitors does not provide for the exterior casing of the monitor to be modified in a manner that will allow it to cooperate with other members for supporting and spatially repositioning heavy document holders. A recently published patent, however, having U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,763 (Hegarty), the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, does present structure related to the mounting and positioning of a support arm at different fixed supportive locations on a vertical surface.
Another further disadvantage with currently available document holder stands of the "copyholder" type is that they are limited in purpose. The viewing sides disclosed in the copyholder art to date are quite limited in purpose and are usually dedicated to holding a document, or document holder, using a clip, line guide and/or ledge to provide support. A recent improvement in providing a multi-purpose capability to the viewing side of document holder stands has been disclosed in a previously filed U.S. patent application, having Ser. No. 07/642,676 (Hegarty), filed Jan. 17, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,391, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
An even further disadvantage in the copyholder art to date is that the positioning ability of these holders has been rather limited when considering the fact that the purpose of such devices should be to quickly and easily position the viewing side at the optimum location for viewing. Repositioning the viewing side of a copyholder is easier and more efficient if the first axis of rotation, which is mounted on the main support member of the copyholder (such as the base), pivots about a vertical axis. A copyholder so constructed uses gravity to its advantage in maintaining the position of the suspended pivoting member in its initial adjustment position about a vertical axis. Additionally, a copyholder is more easily positionable if the member, or members, which allow it to rotate about its axes are fitted very close to the viewing side, namely, to the back of the viewing side's support member. A copyholder so constructed does not require extending and pivoting arms to change the position of its viewing side. Many copyholders, however, such as the Workstation Plus (.TM.) copyholder, Model No. 21115 (manufactured by the Fellows Manufacturing Company of Itasca, Ill.), use an extending arm which pivots about a suspended horizontal axis thereby requiring frequent manipulation of its adjustment knobs in first requiring the fixating of the horizontal and then the vertical position of the copyholder's viewing side. Consequently, no present day copyholder is fitted with: a) a vertical axis pivoting support member which is mounted in the direct vicinity of the viewing side; and which further allows the viewing side to rotate about three axes of rotation with each axis being fixedly positionable with respect to its rotation.
As a result of the aforementioned disadvantages, the current state of the art in the modern, technologically advanced, office environment is for the computer operator to often lay a heavy document, such as a loose-leaf binder or a computer spreadsheet file, either on the desk surface or in the operator's lap when referring to it while working at a video display monitor. Consequently, the operator is continuously refocusing from one viewing plane to another thereby experiencing eye strain, fatigue and inadequate working conditions.